Dementia Care in Acute Settings: A Guide for Nurses

People afflicted with dementia frequently need to be admitted into acute care settings for the evaluation and treatment of medical problems that emerge as a direct result of the disease. The nurses in acute care settings not only have to deal with dementia, but other behavior that is exacerbated by the dementia. Therefore, taking care of these individuals in acute settings tends to pose unique challenges.

Instructions

• 1

  Involve at least one of the patient's usual caregivers in the planning and implementation of care as an important initial intervention. This helps the nurses to identify interventions that were effective in the home setting. Have a regular caregiver provide a continual and familiar presence to the patient in the acute care setting.

• 2

  Monitor patients with dementia in acute care settings for possible delirium that may be brought about by metabolic instability, medication intoxication or complexities from other medical conditions.

• 3

  Offer constant reorientation and reminders to the dementia patient about the reason for his or her being in the different setting, the different tasks that they should be performing, and what they should be doing in the near future.